Cub Football - After forging a three touchdown lead, Loyola gets outscored 28-0 in fourth quarter in loss to Serra
LOYOLA IMPLODES IN FOURTH QUARTER, LOSES TO SERRA IN FIRST MISSION LEAGUE BATTLE
There were 49.7 seconds left in the third quarter at Smith Field on Friday night when Loyola scored its fifth touchdown of the game to take what appeared to be a commanding 35-14 lead over heavily favored Gardena Serra, the 12th-ranked team in California, in both teams' first Mission League battle of the season. The home crowd was rocking, the Cavaliers appeared dejected and the Cubs believed they were on the verge of a victory of epic proportion.
But, inexplicably, the bottom fell out for Loyola in the final stanza as Serra somehow found its groove while the Cubs looked nothing like the team that in three quarters had brought them to the brink of what would have been an historic triumph.
It was an utterly stunning reversal of fortune as Loyola was outscored 28-0 in an "everything that could go wrong, did go wrong" fourth quarter, allowing the Cavaliers, who taunted the home partisans at the conclusion of the contest, to escape with a dramatic "I can't believe what I just saw," 42-35, win.
The Cubs' three offensive possessions of the fourth quarter went as follows: three yards, punt; minus one yard, interception; six yards, fumble; five yards, time ran out.
Meanwhile, Serra drove 80 yards in nine plays, scoring on a one-yard run at the 10:09 mark of the final quarter, making the score, 35-21.
With 3:41 left on the game clock, the Cavaliers covered 42 yards in five plays, aided by a pass interference call against Loyola, scoring on a one-yard run to close the gap to 35-28.
After intercepting a Cub pass, Serra was set up on a short field and scored on another one-yard run to draw even, 35-35.
Following a Loyola fumble the Cavaliers put the game away on a seven-yard run with 15.3 seconds left in the contest. And that was the game.
The Cubs scored first, capping a 45-yard drive with a beautifully executed 27-yard double pass play which saw quarterback ASHTON PANNELL throw a swing pas to TK KNYAL, who in turn threw a strike to BRYCE COLEMAN. JACOB KREINBRING's PAT kick gave Loyola a 7-0 lead with 3:50 remaining in the first quarter.
The Cub 'Wolfpack' defense then forced a three-and-out, after which Loyola scored on a seven-yard pass from PANNELL to wide receiver MARKUS KIER at the 1:23 mark of the first quarter to up the Cub lead to 14-0. A great punt return by DESI VALDES put the Cubs in great field position before the TD drive.
Serra marched 78 yards in 10 plays on the ensuing drive, scoring on a seven-yard run to cut Loyola's lead to 14-7 with 7:59 remaining in the second quarter.
The Cavaliers intercepted a Cub pass at the 50 yard line, and scored in five plays with 4:01 remaining on the second quarter clock to tie the score 14-14, which was the score at intermission.
Loyola's second possession after halftime was set up by another outstanding return by VALDES, followed by a personal foul called against Serra to set the Cubs up at the Cavalier eight yard line. Two plays later SEAN MORRIS II bolted into the end zone from two yards out. KREINBRING's PAT kick gave the Cubs a 21-14 lead with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter.
Loyola's defense forced a turnover on downs as BRANDON LOCKHART broke up a fourth down pass attempt. The Cubs then drove 60 yards in six plays with MORRIS scoring on a two-yard run to make the score 28-14 at the 3:15 mark of the third quarter.
Loyola's defense then forced a three-and-out, and the Cubs had the ball at their own 24 yard line. On the third play, PANNELL threw an out pass to COLEMAN who outraced Serra's secondary for a 78-yard TD with 49.7 seconds left in the third quarter to increase Loyola's lead to 35-14.
Unfortunately for Loyola the wheels came off thereafter.
Prior to the fourth quarter the Cub 'Wolfpack' defense played fast and physically. Up front, ZION SCRIVENS and MAX MEIER were stalwarts. Linebackers HENRY CASANI and DAEQUAN JEFFES consistently brought the wood, as did Edge SCOTT TAYLOR. The secondary paced by LOCKHART, BROCK BOJORQUEZ. PETER SCIARRINO, ZION PHELPS, and VALDES also played well.
Loyola (2-4) will have to rebound in a hurry, as it has a must-win road game against longtime arch rival Bishop Amat next Friday in La Puente.
HOW THE CUBS' FUTURE LEAGUE FOES FARED ON FRIDAY
Teams capitalized are order of opponents:
Notre Dame (4-2) 28, BISHOP AMAT (2-4) 21
Sierra Canyon (3-3) 42, CHAMINADE (1-5) 3
Sierra Canyon is the fourth league game and Notre Dame is the fifth.
CUBS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Below is the list of Loyola graduates playing college football in 2024 according to published collegiate rosters:
CHAD BAILEY ‘20, DB, Bentley University
NICHOLAS BARR-MIRA ‘19, K, Mississippi State
COLIN CRUCE ‘22, OL, Bowdoin
JEFFREY JOHNSON ‘21, TE, Cal
LUKE HARRISON ‘24, OL, University of San Diego
ANDREW KOZHAYA ‘21, OL, Grinnel
SHAWN LIN '22, DL, Columbia
LEIGHTON LINE ‘23, DL, Cal Lutheran
CONNOR McDOWELL ‘21, DB, Angelo State
BLAKE NEITHART ‘20, DB, Carleton
TAHJ OWENS '22, DB, Princeton
JACK PARIS '23, DL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RYAN QUINTANAR '20, LB, USC
ISAIAH SANDERS, ‘24, LB, UC Davis
PATRICK SODL ‘22, LB, Columbia
HENRY STICKLER ‘21, WR, SMU
JACK SUSNJAR ‘23, OL, USC
JOE TATUM ‘22, QB, Texas
EVAN THOMAS ‘20, DB, UCLA
RYAN TURK ‘24, OL, Dartmouth
ALEX WHITMAN ‘22, WR, Notre Dame
CHAMP WESTBROOKS ‘24, OL, Arizona State
CEYAIR WRIGHT ‘21, DB, Nebraska
SAM YOON ‘22, OL, UCLA
2024 LOYOLA VARSITY FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
8-23 @ Cathedral (L, 16-13, 2OT)
8-30 Damien (L, 30-29)
9-13 @ Leuzinger (L, 40-30)
9-20 @ St. Francis (W, 35-7)
9-27 @ Mount Miguel (Spring Valley, San Diego) (W, 46-38)
10-4 Serra (Home)* (L, 42-35)
10-11 @ Bishop Amat*
10-18 Chaminade (Home)*
10-25 @ Sierra Canyon*
11-1 Notre Dame (Home)*
All games on Fridays @ 7:00 p.m. * Denotes Mission League game